Rumpelstiltskin's New Daughter
by LilyBelleMichele188
Summary: Years ago if you had told the Dark One that he'd become a Father again after losing Bae to his own cowardice, he would have laughed you right into your grave.However he didn't count on the former Evil Queen to come asking for his help adopting a baby and he certainly never counted on falling in love with the golden haired twin sister of the infant he ending up procuring for her.


(So this is something new I'm trying. I know this has been done before, but I hope you enjoy! I own nothing but my OC)

...

Years ago if you had told Rumpelstiltskin that he'd become a Father again and learn to love and be loved after losing Bae to his own cowardice, he would have laughed you right into your grave.

However he didn't count on Regina, Mayor of Storybrooke and former Queen of the Enchanted Forest to come asking him one afternoon to help her adopt a baby and he certainly never counted on falling in love with the beautiful golden haired twin sister of the infant he ended up procuring for her.

...

"Gold! I need your help!" Regina stormed into the pawn shop, her dark eyes flaring as usual.

"Ah...so I see. And how can I be of...assistance to you...your Majesty?" Gold's seemingly polite greeting belied a hint of sarcasm as the sharply dressed woman quickly approached the counter.

"I want a baby." Regina's voice wavered slightly as she brought her proposition to the Imp. "I want a child of my own and I need your help to get one." The former Queen folded her arms together, straightening herself so that she matched the pawnbroker's height.

"Well I'm flattered, but uniterested. Sorry, but we are closed now." Gold started to wave her off, but Regina was not one to be turned away.

"Not like that!" Her retort came off much sharper then she intended. "I...I've spent all morning, talking to adoption agencies...and they all have a wait list that's over two months long." Her shoulders slumped a bit as she leaned into this fact.

"But you Gold," Her demeanor quickly perked up again. "You know how to cross red tape. And if there's anyone who can work the system and find me a baby...it's you." She smiled hopefully.

Gold raised an eyebrow at her. "You wish to adopt?" He asked sounding a bit surprised.

"You sound surprised." Regina felt miffed.

"Oh I'm not." Gold shook his head. "I'm sure you'd make a...well a Mother of some sort." He concealed a smirk.

Regina suppressed the urge to throw something at him. "Can you help me or not?" She asked, clenching her fists tightly at her sides.

"Of course I can help you, but after a word of caution." Gold leaned across the cash register. "Have you asked yourself if this is something you're ready for?" He turned quietly seroius.

Regina raised her chin at him. "It's something I need."

"Well that may not be the same thing." Gold shook his head. Regina clenched her jaw.

"I'll get you a child." Gold spoke before Regina could continue to argue. "But whether or not it helps you, remains to be seen. When you become a parent you see, you must put your child first...no matter what." His voice faded as he became lost in thought, the conversation bringing up memories of his own son, now lost to him forever.

"Don't worry." Regina smiled and turned to head for the door. Gold watched until the door swung shut behind her, jingling the bells he'd hung over the entry way.

...

"Yes, I'd like to speak with Mr. Haring, please." Gold got straight to the point, his eyes never leaving the photographs he'd been sent along with the adoption forms the day he inquired on an infant Regina could adopt.

Although he had asked for one child, the agency had sent him two photographs with the forms, depicting two different babies of similar appearance.

He could only assume that they were a set of twins based on the information he was sent. The agency was obviously presenting him or rather Regina with a choice.

Gold had picked up the phone immediately, intending to secure the male child for Regina upon her request when one of the photos slipped from his desk.

As he bent with some difficulty to retrieve the object, his gaze met that of the baby pictured in the image below and all at once his heart stopped.

It was the girl and though she must have been barely a day old when the photograph was taken, Gold noticed that her eyes were wide open unlike her brother and she was gazing straight at the photographer with a look that seemed vaguely familiar to the pawnbroker.

For certain if it wasn't for the the tiny tufts of golden blonde hair he could see peeking out underneath her soft pink hat, he would have sworn that he was looking at down at Bae again, back in that hut all those years ago when Milah first presented him with a son.

Gold quickly shook the thought from his head. How could he even begin to think about becoming a Father again?

After the way he'd lost Baelfire he didn't think he could bear it if he lost someone else the way he did his son all those years ago in the Dark Forest.

Still the idea was intriguing to him. He had, after all, always wanted a daughter since Bae was born and he knew as well as anyone did that if the girl was not adopted she would be sent to a foster home where she may or may not get the care and love she deserved and needed from the start.

"This is Pete Haring. How may I help you?" A stiff professional male voice answered the phone drawing Gold swiftly out of his reverie.

"Ah yes, this is Roy Gold, I'm calling about the infants you suggested for my client." He hastily brushed a hand through his long well kempt hair and set the picture of the girl down on the table before continuing.

"My client has decided on adopting the boy. I assume you'll send for her to sign the agreement at your agency." He said, his gaze never leaving the picture of the baby girl as he spoke.

"Yes, I will give Miss Mills a call and have everything arranged." Mr. Haring seemed quite satisfied to have reached an agreement so soon. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Gold nodded and ran a finger carefully over the picture of the girl again before responding. "There's uh...There is one more thing I'd like to ask about." He slowly ran his fingers over the glossy texture of the photo.

"The girl...what will happen to her after today?"

"Ah I had a feeling you might ask." Mr. Haring paused briefly before continuing. "I realize Miss Mills was only interested in one child, but I wanted to show you both of them just in case since the child she does not choose will be sent into a foster care facility tomorrow morning. I never liked the idea of separating siblings, but I guess it can't be helped sometimes."

Mr. Gold frowned at this. "And what if I were to tell you, I know of someone...who would be interested in adopting the other baby?" He picked up the photograph again.

"She'd be well cared for with this person and loved more than anything in the world." He held the picture under the dim light of his desk lamp as if trying to get a better look at the quality of the paper.

The baby's image gazed back down at him and he found himself slowly smiling back at her.

Bae would have loved having a baby sister. Someone he could protect and play with as they grew up. Milah would have liked it too as much as he hated to think of his late wife.

And the more he stared at her the more he wanted more than anything to be the girl's Father even if she could never completely fill the void Bae had left in the darkest corner of his heart.

"Who, Mr. Gold? You only mentioned one person was interested in adopting from our agency." Mr. Haring patiently waited for the pawnbroker to clarify his intentions.

"Just send along the adoptions forms." Gold smiled slightly as he kept his gaze fixated on the baby girl. "I will take care of the rest."

He started to hang up the phone, but Haring interrupted.

"You do understand, Mr. Gold they'd have to meet the full requirements of custody eligibility before I can approve the adoption." Haring spoke warningly. "Becoming a parent isn't something you do on a whim. Especially when it's a baby. It's a lot of responsibility for one person."

Mr. Gold stifled a chuckle at the warning. "Trust me, Sir. I know very well what it is to become a parent. Expect to see me within the week to settle the agreement. I will keep the photo you sent me."

He pocketed the photo then ended the call before Haring could continue to argue. The deal was struck.

...

"All right. Looks all the paperwork is in order. Would you like to meet your new daughter now, Mr. Gold?" Haring smiled as he shifted all the legal forms into a folder.

Mr. Gold tapped his fingers softly on the top of his cane. "Of course." He gently straightened his jacket, suppressing the urge to smile genuinely at the man sitting across from him.

He still couldn't believe he was here. It had taken some additional thinking on his part regarding his decision to become a Father again and he had been forced to tweak his legal records a bit so that Mr. Haring would approve of the adoption with no qualms.

What had really helped him seal the deal however was his last conversation with Granny back at her Diner in Storybrooke.

Gold had gone in on errand as usual, picking up rent from the old woman and her granddaughter who worked as a waitress at the establishment.

_"Ah hello Gold. Here for your pay I assume. Ruby! Get the check!" Granny barely looked up from her bill records as the spindly little imp walked casually into the Diner, his can tapping rhythmically on the floor as he walked towards the counter. _

_ Gold stifled a snarky remark as the young lady in question entered from the kitchen doors and slammed an envelope on the counter before returning to her work._

_ Granny stared after her. "Sorry. Ruby's a good girl, but she doesn't always act like it. Her parents died when she was young you understand. I may be her grandmother, but I'm no substitute for her Mother." She picked up a half drunk cup of tea from the counter as she spoke and took a long sip from it._

_ The old woman expected Gold to pay no heed to her words, but instead the old pawnbroker seemed highly interested in what she had to say. _

_ "Indeed...a parent is an irreplaceable person in a chlid's life. And good parents can sometimes be hard to find." Gold stared seemingly mesmerized by the doors Ruby had just gone through._

_ His hand strayed slowly towards his right hand pocket where the photograph of the baby girl he had seen days ago still resided carefully folded into a silken red handkerchief._

_ Granny slowly nodded her head. "Yes well, no parent is perfect. The only way to be a good parent in my book is to never stop trying. Never give up." She turned the page in her notebook._

_ "How are things with the adoption process going by the way. I heard you're helping the Mayor adopt a son. How is that coming? Did she get approved?" She pulled her spectacles up on the bridge of her nose._

_ Gold smiled and averted his gaze swiftly from the doors. "Yes...she has." He turned abruptly to leave the Diner. _

_ "Indeed she has."_

"Ah!" The two men turned when the door to the office opened and a nurse walked in carefully carrying a tiny swaddled bundle.

"Here she is!" Haring beamed chuckling a bit as he rose from his chair. "Isn't she a cutie? Looks like she's just woken up from a nap."

Mr. Gold felt his cane slip from his grip when he saw the baby live, wriggling and rosy in the nurse's protective arms.

She had definitely grown a bit since her picture was taken, but that didn't matter to the old pawnbroker. She was here now, she was beautiful, and she was all his.

"Careful." The nurse warned before transferring the infant into her new Father's arms. "Make sure you support her head." Gold suppressed the urge to roll his eyes as the baby snuffled and wiggled a bit in his arms.

"Hi there..." Gold smiled as the baby looked up at him, curious yet unafraid of the man who held her despite the way the nurse and Mr. Haring were looking at him across the room.

"Hi there, Sweetie...It's your Papa." He started to rock her gently back and forth.

"Papa?" Haring asked, not used to the endearment as the nurse set a diaper bag on the chair next to the new Father.

"Yes," Gold merely nodded his head, seemingly entranced by his new daughter. "Yes, I'm her Papa now." He responded smiling as the baby gurgled to him innocently.

"Isn't that right, Little One?" He brought the child to rest even closer to his own body. Almost instantly the babe nestled into him, closing her eyes as she sucked rhythmically on her pacifer.

"Well would you look at that? She likes you already." Haring cocked his head to the side staring as the baby rested one of her hands softly against the smooth fabric of Mr. Gold's necktie.

Gold's smile widened as the infant fell asleep dozing off to the soothing rocking motion of her new Father's arms. "What makes you say that?" He asked, a soft sad tone tinting the true happiness in his voice.

"Well you see...you're the first besides her nurse to hold her without making her cry. She's usually quite fussy around strangers. Particularly men." Haring explained.

Gold felt his heart grow warm. "Is that right?...One small victory for old Rumpelstiltskin, eh wee one?" He whispered into the baby's ear being careful not to wake her.

"Pardon?" Haring furrowed his eyebrows.

"That's it!" Gold ignored him again. "That's what I'll call you. Victoria." He smiled and continued to rock her.

"Victoria Belle Gold. It's the perfect name for you." He bent to kiss her on her head.

"Victoria...Yes, you are my Victoria. My Victoria." He continued to croon almost completely oblivious to the other two people standing in the room.

"Um, perhaps we'd better get the rest of the paperwork signed so you can be on your way." Haring seemed reluctant to intrude on the moment, but at the same time knew that they had to finish the business portion of the transaction.

"Yes of course." Mr. Gold did not look up from the baby as he answered. He turned to reseat himself, not tearing his gaze away as Mr. Haring left to retrieve the adoption certificates.

...

"You can't be serious." Regina snorted with laughter when she walked into the pawn shop to meet with the owner.

Mr. Gold was inside as usual with some unknown mystical object sitting on his counter waiting to be appraised. However the imp's attention was not on his collection for once in his lifetime.

"What I choose to do with my life is my own personal business, Regina." Gold barely turned to acknowledge the Queen's presence.

Regina smirked as she noted the tiny hand wrapped around Gold's right index finger. "Well I never thought you'd choose this...not after what happened with your son." She stopped and bent over the counter, peering at the infant swaddled in the cradle.

"A good parent never gives up." Mr. Gold reluctantly pulled his hand away from his new daughter's grip. "I may have lost my chance with my son, but I won't lose it with Victoria." He straightened in front of his rival.

"Victoria...is that what you've decided to call her?" Regina averted her gaze from the baby. Gold started to retort. "I came here to thank you for helping me get my son."

Regina paused and took a moment to gather herself before continuing. "Also I know you'll be coming around to collect your end of the bargain soon so I decided to beat you to the punch." She rested her hands on the countertop.

"What do you want?"

Gold raised an eyebrow at her. "Well I happy you asked." He turned away from the Mayor and walked to the wall where an ornate portrait was hung next to an old tapestry that had long gathered dust and cobwebs from its many years.

Regina waited impatiently as the Imp moved the tapestry, unlocked the safe that was behind it and pulled out a thick file containing a hefty stack of paperwork.

"This...contains all every single legal documentation on my new daughter including her birth certificate and adoption forms." Gold suppressed a smile as he held it out to the skeptical mayor.

"I'd like you to hold on to it for me for the time being and keep it where it can't be found." Regina stared suspiciously at the folder.

"That's it? That's all you want from me?" Gold cocked his head to the side. "Do you not have a suitable hiding place at your residence, Miss Mills? Or is this uncertainty about our deal that I'm hearing in your tone?"

"No! Of course I have a safe place for this. What I don't have is your reasons for wanting me to keep Victoria's files. Isn't your safe safe enough?" Regina threw an arm up in the air.

Gold rolled his eyes. "Of course it is, but I want to be doubly sure that the wrong person does not find these papers." His gaze twitched briefly in the direction of the baby.

Regina noticed the glance.

"So I see," She began to collect herself as the pieces came together in her mind. "This isn't about our deal as much as it is about Victoria, is it?" She leaned over the counter and put her hand on the file.

"You don't want her finding out she's not your real daughter one day. Even if that means pushing her away like you did your own son." Gold narrowed his eyes at that.

"I'm not going to lose my child. Not this time, Regina." He moved to set his hand gently on the edge of Victoria's cradle. Regina raised an eyebrow at that as the old pawnbroker began to slowly rock the cradle back and forth in a slow soothing motion.

"Do we have a deal, Miss Mills?" Gold kept his darkened gaze on the former Queen, using his free hand to push the file towards her.

Regina reluctantly snatched the folder from the counter after a minute. "Fine." She practically snarled her answer before stomping her way to the door.

She paused just before she could reach the doorknob.

"You know if this goes south one day, don't expect me to shoulder all the blame." Regina stopped to turn her imperious gaze back on the old sorceror.

"You are her Father now after all." She sneered bitterly.

Mr. Gold glared back at her. "I am well aware." He countered, leaving no more room for argument. Regina reluctantly complied again, making sure to slam the door loudly after herself.

Gold flinched when the noise caused Victoria to stir and wake from her light slumber despite the soothing motion of the cradle.

"Oh no no no, shh shh!" Mr. Gold quickly scooped the crying infant into his arms, cradling her against his body as she fussed pitifully at him. "Shh shh, you're all right Darling. You're all right...Don't cry. Papa's got you." He turned and began to walk around the narrow area behind the counter, patting the baby soothingly on the back as he did so.

Gradually the crying turned into hiccups and Mr. Gold felt a smile spread across his face as he felt those tiny little fingers weakly attempt to grip the fabric of his tie again.

"There's a good girl." He crooned looking down affectionately at his new daughter. "You're such a good girl, aren't you Victoria?" He using the corner of her blanket to wipe away her tears before turning to grab her pacifer from the cradle.

The baby accepted the object gratefully and sucked happily on the nipple as her new guardian continued to walk her around the shop rocking her all the way. His cane lay forgotten by the cash register.

"I am going to prove them all wrong about us, Dearie." Gold paused before he reached the room divider that led into his secret storage area in the back of his pawn shop.

"I am going to prove to everyone including my son...that I _can_ be a good Papa to you, despite every mistake I made." He continued to rock her rhythmically stroking the soft pad of her cheek gently with the tip of his index finger.

"Do you understand what I'm saying, little one?" Gold continued to look down lovingly at his daughter enjoying the warmth their combined body heat gave him as he held her closely between his arms.

He grabbed her tiny hand within his larger one and kissed her fingers softly before returning her arm back at her side.

Victoria grabbed his hand before he could pull it away cooing as if she'd understood every word he had said to her.

Mr. Gold smiled at that and turned to carry his precious little bundle back to her cradle never taking his eyes off of his daughter's soft innocent gaze.

"That's right. Your Papa loves you, Victoria." He soothed, continuing to rock her until she fell asleep still suckling quietly on her pacifer.

"Papa loves you so very very much indeed."

...


End file.
